Slideshow: Welcome to the Planet Panda

Down in front! At the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base in Chengdu—capital of China's Sichuan province—14 panda cubs were arranged for a photo op Tuesday.

Associated Press

The 14 are from 20 cubs born to the research center's pandas in July and August; three died, and the other three are already exercising their cuteness overseas.

Associated Press

Panda cubs, weak at birth—not even opening their eyes until they're six to eight weeks old—are cared for by staff at the research center.

ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images

British Airways launched direct service between London Heathrow and Chengdu, which merited a greeting from suspiciously human-like pandas upon arrival. Also joining the panda parade: Qatar Airways, which began direct flights to Chengdu from Qatar this month, and United Airlines, which plans direct service from San Francisco starting next June.

Jianghongcarter/Xinhua/Zuma Press

But did United or Qatar Airways think to paint a plane with panda markings, as British Airways did with this Boeing 777? The lesson: Don't try to compete with the U.K. in whimsy. You're overmatched.

Eyevine/Zuma Press

Perhaps hoping to compete with the Chengdu 14, the Taipei Zoo's giant panda cub Yuan Zai broke out her first teeth.

Taipei Zoo/Xinhua/Zuma Press

She was born in July, the first offsping of two pandas given to Taiwan as part of some panda-diplomacy by China.

Taipei Zoo/Xinhua/Zuma Press

Showing teeth and being held aren't Yuan Zai's only tricks. She can also lie still like a pro, and threatens one day to crawl.

Taipei Zoo/Xinhua/Zuma Press

Yuan Zai is not to be confused with Yuan Zi, resident in Paris since early last year. He recently received three 'Pambassadors'—three humans (one from France, one from China and one from the U.S.) selected by the Chengdu research center to travel the world raising panda awareness. Doesn't seem like much of a challenge.

Chen Xiaowei/Xinhua/Zuma Press

According to the conservation organization WWF (of the famous panda logo), the bamboo that makes up the bulk of the panda diet is so low in nutritional value that a panda must chew through 12 to 38 kilograms a day just to maintain its notably placid lifestyle.

Chen Xiaowei/Xinhua/Zuma Press

Sitting on real pandas is discouraged by experts, but the 1,600 panda figures put on display in Germany—to mark the WWF's 50th anniversary in the country—have no such experts to speak on their behalf.